The most advanced models can now empty their own bins, mop the floor and refill their water own water tanks. (The Independent)

Robot vacuum cleaners are more advanced and more affordable than ever. Once a novelty gadget, these household helpers are now an essential piece of kit for busy homes and pet owners, ensuring your floors stay dust and dirt-free without you having to lift a finger.

Complaints about iRobot’s customer service are rampant, reflecting a broader issue with its app and product support.

The Samsung JetBot AI+ is packed full of features to say the least, and it's one of the most attractive robot vacuums to grace my floors. This intelligent and gentle cleaner almost acts as a security camera as much as a robot vacuum cleaner.

The robot even sends you pictures of anything it’s avoided, so you can clear the space and send it around again (or, if you’re lazy, like us, dismiss the notification and promise you’ll get around to it later).

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is one of the more expensive robot vacuum cleaners on the market, but it’s packed with enough premium features to justify its price. It mops and vacuums, switching modes depending on the surface.

Obstacle navigation: We noted whether the robot was able to climb the 0.75-inch threshold to the bathroom, how often it got tripped up by obstacles, and whether it elicited certain failure messages repeatedly.

Bots don’t procrastinate or get bored, so they spend more time cleaning. Pet owners and people with young kids in particular seem to gain a lot from bots, and many robot-vacuum owners have told us that they are amazed at how clean their floors look and feel after they start using one regularly.

As long-time supporters of iRobot, one of the few domestic manufacturers in the robot vacuum market, we were excited to test the Combo 10 Max. We even went the extra mile by delaying our review and purchasing a second Automatic Vacuum Cleaners unit to ensure some disappointing findings that we came across were accurate.

Human hair is embedded into the same section of the test carpet. Technicians time how long it takes for the vacuum to pick up the hair and weigh the amount that’s in the dustbin and the brush roll.

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And while removing dog hair on carpet wasn't as impressive, it still rated high in comparison to others that we've tested. What's more, we were impressed with its mopping results, and the self-cleaning doc was a bonus.

The mopping tank is small, so you’ll need to refill it with detergent fairly frequently if you use it routinely. The app lets you reduce the amount of water being used, to help extend the mopping function further between refills.

Maximum vacuuming suction meets vibrating mopping to ensure any kind of flooring is covered. Laser Mapping results in the most efficient cleaning path in every room. Plus, with a battery built to last up to 300* minutes on a single charge, the DEEBOT N20 PRO PLUS goes the distance to clean your entire home, as well as clear your schedule.